Why don't all members of the Air Force have to be fully qualified to be a rifleman in case of hostile events?

I being a former combat vet agree on having all military branches learn and be taught tactical weaponry… Even with the drawdowns and cutbacks throughout the military…. The word military says it all, everyone needs to be taught on a weapon first before sitting at a desk for 8-10 hours a day… What happens when the lone gunmen comes in and no one knows what to do or you are in the back 40 on the battlefield…
I’ve seen what passing people up on the battlefield because higher ups say they are no threat anymore can do… It just isn’t smart to not be trained on our weapons and it wouldn’t hurt to be trained on a vast majority of other weapons once or twice a year to get everyone out of offices as they will be glad to get out and see other people again from other places… Just my thoughts and thank you and God bless on this Memorial Day to our past and present troops….

To be fair; weapons training in the Army is kind of a joke too. Trigger discipline and weapons safety is on point. But most Army personnel know very little about the M16/M4. As an E4, I found my superiors dismissive towards me when I explain to them how a BFA works or what causes rifles to malfunction. Often times, they simply said the M16 is "always unreliable." It still frustrates me to think that professional Army NCO's know nothing about their own rifles.

If your at a FOB your armed, you’d better know how to safely use it if necessary. It’s part of being in the military regardless of your branch or primary MOS, if your in imminent danger you need to be able to protect your position and use your weapon properly. I’m an old dude, but if there’s an attack would I assume that everyone has a designated place to be? Can’t sit in your hooch teeth chattering. My sons AF attached to Army and he’s as well trained at the guys in the 10th, he deployed fully armed.

In the Air Force I was fully trained on the M16 rifle. I think I know the reason for your statement that the Air Force is not fully trained in its use. The truth is when I was deployed for Desert Shield/Storm with an M16 I was not allowed to test fire it before being deployed, nor was I allowed to sight it in. What I found out to my horror is that particular weapon was missing parts, thus leaving me in the position of having nothing more than a fragile, lightweight club. When my congressman (former Air Force pilot) visited the AOR, I made it a point to show him the weapon. Long story short, my chain of command from immediate supervisor all the way to Wing Commander were replaced before I was allowed to return to home station.

The point I'm trying to make is Air Force doesn't train all members in the use of weapons because the Air Force doesn't have, or didn't have, enough operational weapons to go around.

SSgt I have to agree with you. I grew up handling weapons and can't think of a single reason why I would not want to be capable of defending anywhere in the military

I think you are out of touch. Kinda of funny that I had to requalify every couple of years on the M-16/M-4 and got Marksmen. We have deployed people in my unit to many places that you needed your weapon to include some of the first Truck Convoys in Iraq.

Cause the airforce has a corporate identity vs a warrior military one. I regularly see e3 call their staff ncos by their first names. I seen their members tell their command they refuse tdy orders or they don't want to transfer to a new base and such.

After my active duty Air Force (70 - 74), I did 28 years in the Air National Guard. I was in a RED HORSE unit and there, everyone was proficient with weapons. Having the task of constructing an airfield and billets, RH units were self-contained insofar as security, medical, services and other areas. Admittedly on active duty, I was not so proficient but I was in SAC and doing tasks relative to keeping missile Launch Control Facilities online.

I along with many other airmen have said often that we send our officers to battle. Air Force sends the fighter jets, bombers and cargo to the war zones. Most of the air crews are officers. The rest of us remain on the ground and wait to receive returning aircraft only to prepare them for the next flight. Although as a firefighter I have been trained on the M-16 and the .38 revolver. We rarely had a need to carry one. The pilots and crew are trained in case they crash behind enemy lines. Just in case they survive the crash they might be able to protect themselves from capture.

Every person serves as a part of a greater team. I am ironically confused by the argument that people who repair and/or fly fighter jets all too often struggle with and fail to grasp the complexities of the M16 platform. Yeah, we should all be trained on what every person on the team does, but that is the extent of it. I have enough faith that if I can help control the skies, there are others who have it all covered on the ground.